


Advent calendar drabble #6

by begformercytwice



Series: Advent Calendar 2012 [6]
Category: The Hour
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-12-06
Updated: 2012-12-06
Packaged: 2017-11-20 12:18:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 402
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/585343
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/begformercytwice/pseuds/begformercytwice
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Freddie and Bel's first meeting.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Advent calendar drabble #6

The noise of the second hand cut through the uneasy silence. Maybe they always kept applicants waiting like this, to keep them on their toes. Still, she’d been the first one to arrive, so it seemed a little unfair that it was just her and this kid left to be interviewed.

She looked over the notes in front of her, just like she’d done at least a dozen times in the last two hours. She’d spent every minute of her free time over the past week studying and preparing for her one chance to impress, and it had to be perfect.

“They won’t care, you know.”

The boy next to her was slouching in his seat and staring into space. He hadn’t even bothered to tie his tie properly. Who’d let him out of the house looking and acting like that?

“I’m sorry?”

“About all your work. They won’t care how much effort you put into being ready for this interview. It’s all about thinking on your feet, being good in a crisis, all that. I mean, if you want to be stuck in some mid-level research position for the next forty years, then great, go in there and parrot all your lines. But they won’t be considering you for the big jobs.”

He still wasn’t looking at her, but she could see the self-satisfied smile on his face as he reached into his pocket for a cigarette. He lit it and put away the pack without offering one to her.

“So, when you walk in there, you think they’re going to take one look at you and see the next Ernest Hemingway?” she said, twisting around to look at him. “You think they’ll want someone on their staff who can’t even be bothered to prepare for an interview? Who turns up looking like a tramp with a library card?” She could see his smile slipping. “Maybe at university you got away with behaving like that, but I really don’t think it’ll go down as well at the BBC.”

“Bel Rowley?” A secretary had emerged from the office. “You’re in next.”

Bel stood up to leave, buttoning her jacket and smoothing her hair. “Good luck in there,” she said as she walked away. “You’ll need it.”

“My name’s Freddie,” he blurted out, looking straight at her for the first time. “Freddie Lyon. I hope we meet again.”

“I wouldn’t hold your breath.”


End file.
